What Separates Me From You
by to2llyuntraceable
Summary: Somehow, Sasuke has made amends. After spending years as a rogue ninja, he's devoted himself to Konoha and he's even convinced Sakura to marry him. But when an old friend is nearly killed by a secret organization from Kumogakure, he's plunged back into Orochimaru's world. Now he must confront his past to save the world, even as the life he's built falls slowly apart.


This was written with my good friend and wonderful author deansbrave. The fic is crossposted on her AO3 account, so definitely go check her out. Any reviews would be appreciated.

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Sasuke did _what_?" asked Naruto.

"He volunteered," said Sakura, wringing the air where her fiancé's head should have been. She took a large swig directly from a flask of saké, already a third of the way through. "He said he needed answers, and that the mission was bigger than both of us. At the very least he _promised _to show up to the wedding."

She was sunk into her chair at the small dinner table in the townhouse she and Sasuke would reside in til death do them part. It was a small place, with two bedrooms and a kitchen-living room combination. The walls were covered with photographs and mementos of her time as a ninja, a life she'd mostly left behind. In the years since the war, her uneven spiky hair had smoothed, and her skin bore no scars. It pained her to admit it, but she'd gained some weight as well now that she was living off of a surgeon's salary rather than a medical-nin's.

She'd taken a few extra patients at the hospital today. Technically, she hadn't had to come in at all, but the concentration required for precise chakra control cleared her mind. Now, she was taking large swigs from a flask of saké.

"Sasuke wants to make up his debt to everybody, including you. He would have only gone if it was absolutely necessary," said Naruto.

"Yeah, well, when you overestimate your own power and underestimate the entire Hidden Leaf Village, the bar for what's necessary is pretty low." She realized Naruto hadn't even taken off his jacket. "Anyway, I didn't invite you over so you could listen to me complain. Do you want something to drink? It's less fun if I'm the only one tipsy."

"You sure you don't want to talk about this? I'm here for you," said Naruto, smiling gently.

"Stop being a pussy and grab a cup already."

"Alright, alright. Kurama knows I need to relax."

Naruto ambled past Sakura to the kitchen cabinets, nearly stumbling over her chair as he did so.

"Kakashi-sensei must be working you to the bone, you can barely stay upright," said Sakura.

Naruto returned to the table sporting his favorite tokkuri, dark blue with a stencil of Kurama. Team 7 always drank together, and whenever Sasuke had a mission Naruto kept Sakura company after the two came home from work. At some point he started leaving it at her place.

"He's been forcing me to do all of his mission paperwork for weeks now. He keeps saying he's teaching me a lesson about 'bureaucracy', but it's hard to take him seriously when his face is buried in another shitty book."

"If you want to become Hokage, you're going to be filling out paperwork that will affect the entire village. If you can slog through mission work, you can slog through anything."

"Ugh, you sound like Kakashi-sensei. He still hasn't let me use shadow clones again."

"That's because you cloned one of yourself for each form the first day, and knocked over two filing cabinets. Reorganizing took more time than filling out everything yourself would have."

"That was before I understood the system. You'd think he'd let me clone myself twice by now."

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei is still scarred based on what you've told me about that day. Fifty of you in a crowded office, the smell alone must have been haunting."

Sakura imagined a mountain of Narutos, flailing arms with crumpled sheets of paper extending from the pile, each clamoring towards a single folder. She shuddered dramatically.

Naruto rolled his eyes and downed his drink.

"Honestly, it's not so bad. The workload is boring but it's doable, and I am getting used to sitting behind a desk. I'm sick and tired of having to fill out forms for Madam Shijimi's cat though. It's been eight years since our first mission and that geriatric rat is still a weekly issue. The cat's not fun to deal with either."

"Don't insult Madam Shijimi like that, she's just got a lot of love and nowhere to put it," said Sakura, sticking her nose in the air. "I might even say I identify with her."

Naruto stared at her.

"You can't possibly believe that. You're getting married in three days, and you just had a bachelorette party with Ino, Hinata, and Tenten."

"I'm kidding, Naruto. I know I've got a lot going for me." To Sakura's surprise, Naruto remained serious.

"There's always a hint of truth to your jokes."

Sakura's smile faded, and she felt uncomfortable under Naruto's gaze. When she didn't say anything, Naruto continued onwards.

"You don't have to pretend you're not upset."

Sakura's anger and worry bubbled up to the surface, the knot in her throat announcing their presence. She took a deep drink from her flask, letting the aromatic fumes of the saké soothe her.

"I was picking out floral arrangements for the wedding while Sasuke was away on a mission, and I realized half my life is going to be spent with no idea where my husband is. The thought was so sobering, I drank three bottles of beer. Now, it's three days before the wedding and he's gone again and can't even tell me why. I'm- I'm tethering myself to a man whose more devoted to Konoha than he is to me, and the village is better off for it. I've accepted that and I love his dumb ass anyways, but when when your least fear is that… is that your fiancé misses your wedding instead of…"

She choked back a sob, letting a wave of pain undulate across her chest. It was a while before she trusted herself to speak again.

"I don't want to stop him from doing what he has to do."

"Sakura-chan, you're not a burden."

"That's not it." She looked away from Naruto, talking more to the saké now than to him. "Sometimes, I wonder if this marriage is a mistake."

"_Sakura_. You're his wife. If you didn't want him home I'd be worried. But you're in love with a war criminal whose usefulness to Konoha is the only reason he isn't exiled. More importantly, Sasuke is one of the strongest ninja of our generation. He's the only one who can even attempt certain missions, and in spite of the stakes he does it gladly. You are his top priority, because the person he wants to protect most in the village is you."

Sakura slowly lifted her gaze until she met Naruto's eyes, and in that moment he almost imperceptibly moved forward and before jerking back into his place. She wouldn't have noticed it at all if not for the screech of his chair on the hardwood floor. Looking down, she saw how tightly he was gripping his armrests, how she too was at the edge of her seat.

_I've hardly ever seen him like this, not since the war. Not since I told him I loved Sasuke._

"I'm not going to tell you things aren't going to be hard, or that this situation is going to get better soon. But you're strong enough to get through it. And your friends will be there for you when you're not."

He poured some more alcohol into his tokkuri and extended it to Sakura, a warm smile on his face.

"So, stop being a pussy and drink up."

She chuckled softly, and smacked his arm.

"You're such an idiot. You realize your offering _my _saké in _your _cup."

Sakura felt her own warmth in her stomach reciprocate as she gulped it down.

"It fit the moment though didn't it."

Sakura took a moment to consider. He was being disgustingly cheesy, but she couldn't deny the knot in her throat had loosened a bit. The conclusion was clear.

_God, I'm drunk._

"Yeah," she relented. "I guess it did. Even if it was melodramatic."

"What? I'm _never_ melo-whatever," said Naruto, visibly offended.

"How many speeches have you given? Gaara, Pein, Obito, I know you practiced for Sasuke at the Valley of the End-"

"Yeah and they all changed sides, you're welcome."

"I bet you would have given one to Madara too if we weren't too busy fighting Kaguya."

"Hey, I wouldn't have - well maybe - damn it, it would have worked anyways."

Sakura giggled, unable to reconcile how this manchild could somehow know all the right things to say.

"I'm sure it would've, dead last," she said, and they lapsed into silence. There was something about Naruto's sheepish expression that brought a smile she couldn't get rid of.

In a strange rush of affection, she surged forward from the table and threw herself into Naruto's arms. In theory, it would have been a hug, but Naruto had been drinking and apparently been leaning back heavily into his chair.

They tumbled to the ground, Naruto's arms instinctively wrapping around her.

He lay there, shocked into stillness, his hands resting on the small of her back. She raised her head from his chest and caught Naruto's eyes, wide and fully dilated. Beneath her hand, she could feel his heart strain against his ribs. The dining room fell away in an alcoholic blur, their breath mingling in the air between them, fruity and acidic.

New information, like the way his whiskers curled around his cheek or the softness of his skin, seemed inexplicably more important and Sakura didn't care to think about why. Somehow she was even closer to him - when did that happen? - and her pink hair had fallen around her face and brushed against blonde like a sunset. And she could see him form her name on his lips with his _stupid_ honorific, and she didn't want that, not when it would remind her who she is and who he is and what this was, so she jumbled their lips together before he could say the words.

And then they were fighting to see whether Sakura could pull him up to her harder than she down to him, her hands scrabbling at his shirt, his running up and down her back as if to memorize her curves. Their mouths crashed together, sloppy and disjointed, but it didn't matter because at least someone was _there_. He broke from her to softly nibble at her ear, but Sakura ripped his head back to her and caught him in a searing kiss.

She wasted no time letting her hands roam, and he twitched at her touch.

"Aren't we moving a little fast?" he murmured.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut up and enjoy it."

For a few moments, everything disappeared but his ecstasy, she deafened her pain with his shuddering breaths. She just needed him to reciprocate and she could drown out the world.

Instead, he pushed her hand away and brought them into a sitting position, bringing their feverish pace to a halt.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, still in a daze. "You're free to explore too, you know."

He smiled at her, warmly. "That's what I'm doing."

He softly alighted his lips on her collarbone, focusing on his work with an uncomfortable intensity. Instinctively, she backed away from him, but he held her roughly in place. Slowly, meticulously, he made his way up towards her neck, the tip of his tongue barely grazing her as if the pressure could shatter her bones. The electricity of his touch lingered on her skin.

_Something about this feels wrong. Tell him to stop, Sakura. Why aren't you telling him to stop, Sakura?_

His kisses became firm and passionate, and she noticed she was leaning into him, exposing more and more of herself to the sensation. Little sighs of pleasure escaped her before she could call them back.

And then Naruto whispered softly in her ear, "You're so beautiful."

It was just too much.

She shoved him back down, and Naruto winced as he hit the floor. Cracks in the floor emerged from beneath his shoulder; she'd unintentionally chakra enhanced her arm. He stared at her, no doubt wondering what he'd done wrong, but she couldn't even explain it to herself.

Before either could think about it further, she plunged her tongue back into his mouth. They rolled around on the floor, wrestling for control. Sakura could feel his resistance each time she pressed him down, the frustration in his growls as she claimed his mouth. She could feel the anger bubbling within her. Naruto slammed her down onto the floor, ripping apart her clothes with ferocity.

"Fuck me hard," she whispered.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped. His eyes bore into her skull, and his muscles flexed and shook as they pinned Sakura down, but he refused to close the gap between them.

At that moment, she realized there was something compartmentalized and forgotten within Naruto, teased out again by the moment. He longed for something she could never give him.

He beat her to the words. It still felt like she was being punched in the gut.

"I can't do this."

Her world was off-kilter as her guilt and pain muddied into confusion. She dragged herself to her feet and stumbled back into her flask. It rolled back off the table, spattering her leg with shards of porcelain and droplets of saké.

"So what now?" he asked. "Does this... change anything between us?"

She paused, knowing her next words were going to bruise. "I don't want it to."

"That's good," said Naruto, blatantly lying.

Sakura wobbled a bit, jerking her hand back into the table to steady herself, back into the wetness of the spilled drink. Warm liquid dripped down her fingers, the only thing grounding her in the moment.

"I'm so sorry. I should have known how you still felt about me."

"Yeah, you should have," he said, bitterly.

_God, this hurts._

"It doesn't matter," he continued. "I kissed you back. We move on and deal with the consequences."

Naruto looked into Sakura's eyes, acknowledging the unspoken questions burning between them, expecting her to take the lead. But she couldn't think. Her words barely rested on her tongue before they were spoken. Her head was spinning, and more than anything she needed to be alone.

"Tomorrow. We deal with the consequences tomorrow."

"Sakura, we have to talk about this."

"I want to deal with this when I'm sober."

"No, you don't want to deal with this at all. You can't hide how you're really feeling right now, and that thought terrifies you."

Sakura didn't even know if that was true. She knew nothing.

"Please Naruto," she said, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice. "_Leave. _I don't know how I feel. I don't know what I'm going to tell Sasuke. Least of all, I don't know what to tell you. Don't make me break your heart without being sure about what I'm saying."

She turned away from him and grabbed a towel from the kitchen. "This… this never happened and… I need to clean this mess up." She bent down, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she scrubbed. To her relief, she heard Naruto's footsteps as he gathered his things.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at Naruto, but he stared rigidly ahead.

"Don't worry about my heart. I know you don't want me, and I made peace with that years ago."

Tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks, fat drops mixing in the saké.

It was only after the door slammed that she whispered to herself, "I don't believe you."

The convoy had left under the cover of darkness, on a night when the mist of Kirigakure was thick and stagnant. A Hyuga jonin, Hoheto, headed the group, his activated Byakugan guiding the group through the darkness. Two others, Daisuke and Masahiro, flanked Consul Hiroki, ready to take over once the first exhausted his chakra reserves. Four guards, Sasuke, and a Kiri-nin, Takumi, brought up the rear, further protection.

The air was hot and sticky, like it had risen from a festering swamp. At night, the fog swallowed up the moonlight, leaving walls of impenetrable darkness. Leaves rustled in the distance, and Sasuke stared into the black, begging for even a sliver of movement. He couldn't even see the silhouette of a tree.

Every precaution had been taken, and yet Sasuke couldn't help but glance at the Hyuga noble's sleeping figure each time he heard a twig snap. He wiped away sweat with his cloak, the cloth damp from overuse.

The return was always the most stressful part on missions like these, even more so because Sasuke himself was on a time crunch. The trip back to Konoha would take two days without incident. The day after that was the most important day of his life.

_You'd think fighting the literal mother of all ninja would the most intimidating thing you've ever done._ _I really can't die tonight, Sakura would kill me._

"Nervous?" asked the Kiri-nin, his tone too relaxed for Sasuke's liking.

"Not nervous. Alert," said Sasuke. "As you should be."

"Don't mind him," Daisuke called. "He's just on edge because he's getting married in three days."

The three Konoha jonin shared a laugh at Sasuke's expense, and he couldn't control the roll of his eyes.

"Married huh? You excited?" The Kiri-nin asked, a grin splitting his face. Sasuke stared him down hard before finally answering.

"Very."

"Well you sure don't sound like it."

"Focus on the mission, that's our first priority."

"Take my advice, trust in your teammates. Right now, you don't have the dojutsu or the experience to navigate these forests, so there's no point worrying about it. Just be ready to defend the Consul if necessary."

"Take _my _advice, let me do my job and keep your eyes to the trees. There's something off about this mission," said Sasuke, leveling a glare at the newest addition to the party.

"He's a lost cause,Takumi" said one of the Hyugas.

Takumi shrugged. "I'm just trying to help. The mist is always is always a little disarming- uhh, I mean-"

Sasuke sighed, as Takumi glanced nervously at the empty folds of Sasuke's cloak.

"I'm getting married to a girl who I ignored as a kid, abandoned for seven years, and tried to kill multiple times. It's only thanks to her and my best friend that I'm even here, and frankly, it's almost contrived she can even stand me, so forgive me if I'm a little 'on edge'."

Takumi's mouth dropped open. Sasuke couldn't hide his smirk.

_That'll shut him up._

"So, you're getting married to the only woman who could ever possibly put up with you, and you're on an escort mission a hundred miles away?" asked Takumi, gesturing wildly. "Do you even want to be married to this person?"

Sasuke dropped his voice dangerously low. "Of course I do, I _love_ her. Sakura understands my debt to the Leaf Village can only be repaid with complete devotion. If she had a mission to complete, I'd gladly stay home and prepare for the wedding."

"Uh-huh. And yet you're here."

_Because a peacetime escort mission shouldn't have been A-rank._

Three years ago, the five villages celebrated the end of the 4th Great Ninja War. Now, a member of the Hyuga council had been sent to inquire about whispers of an uprising, and they'd been stonewalled by the Mizukage who insisted everything was fine. And yet, a Kiri-nin had still been assigned to the convoy.

"The Mizukage is hiding something, maybe because she doesn't want to look weak to the other villages. There have been rumors about certain groups in Kirigakure yearning for the days of the Blood Mist Village. I can't leave that up to chance."

Tekumi chuckled. "Those are some strong words there, buddy. For all you know, I report directly to Madam Terumi."

Sasuke gave him the once over. The Kiri-Nin beside him seemed the carefree type, much the same as Naruto in their youth. His dark hair was hand-combed, stray strands extending this way and that. His uniform was freshly laundered. Someone back home cared for him, at least enough to force him into fresh clothes, but nowhere did he see the professionalism befitting that of a second in-command.

"I think I'll be fine."

"Would you two lovebirds shut up for a second?" called Hoheto. "I can see someone approaching us in the distance."

Instinctively, Sasuke crouched into a defensive stance and inched closer towards the Consul. To his credit, Hiroki remained calm.

"Describe their appearance," he ordered. "Are they wearing a forehead protector?"

"At this distance I can only see one chakra signature, but it is weak and unfocused. Probably civilian."

"How far are they from us?"

"About a mile. They're moving pretty quickly though."

Sasuke frowned. "Be on your guard, there's no reason for anyone to be on the road this late." He turned to Takumi. "Are there any villages up the road?"

"There are lots of 'em scattered around the forests. "

_It's not worth the risk._

"Consul Hiroki," said Sasuke, "You have mastered the Gentle Fist, no?"

Hiroki allowed himself a haughty smile, "Of course. Were I a few years younger this group would be purely ornamental."

"Good. I can't guarantee you won't have to defend yourself." Sasuke looked to Takumi, and the Kiri-nin gulped. Not sure whether to be scared or excited. "You're with me, You know the terrain. We're gonna head them off."

"Shouldn't we stay together as a group?" Takumi nodded.

"We don't have time to argue this. It's better that whomever is coming our way is unaware of the Consul's existence."

"But -"

"We can't let the consul become a target." Sasuke let chakra flow into his eye, Takumi's face blurring and then becoming crystal clear as he activated the Sharingan. "No matter what."

He didn't wait for a response, leaping to a tree branch. If Takumi wanted to follow, he could.

Sasuke landed on a tree branch. He could see a young girl running desperately; she was headed straight for the main road, and straight for the convoy.

Sasuke, and Takumi stayed up in the trees for a moment longer watching the young girl until they could hear her harsh breaths mixed with sobs. Her legs finally seemed to give out as she fell to the forest floor, crying. Takumi headed down to the girl first not even giving Sasuke a choice in how to approach the situation.

"Are you alright?" Takumi asked the small girl. She looked up at them at first seeming terrified as if what she had escaped from was already coming back for her, but she saw the headband on Takumis forehead, and began crying again this time seeming almost relieved.

"Hey I want to help, but you have to stop crying, and tell me what happened first" Takumi spoke soothingly to the young girl as Sasuke stood just a little ways back. He'd never been good with crying girls.

"My - my village… i - its, its" She stuttered.

"What about your village?" Sasuke demanded. Takumi shot him a withering look over his shoulder but Sasuke couldn't have been more unbothered.

They needed information.

"There was yelling… and all the adults told us to hide… but I couldn't see so I just started ru - running…" That was all the girl was able to get out before she started sobbing again.

The two shinobi shared a look before Sasuke looked towards the direction she'd come running from.

"I'll go check it out" Sasuke looked back at Takumi "You take care of the girl, and make sure the convoy moves off the main road until I return."

"Hey, wait -" Takumi tried to stop him but Sasuke had already shunshinned away.

Sasuke landed on another tree branch just a few miles away from where he had left Takumi, and the girl looking towards the direction she'd come from. Only a few more miles ahead he could see the unmistakable rooftops of houses. He continued to race the along the trees towards the village.

He stopped his running once he landed deftly on top of a house, and began to survery the area.

"What is going on here?" He muttered to himself watching as a few people in the street stumbled around into walls, and tripping over their own feet.

Sasuke jumped from the roof, and landed in the street only a few feet away from one of the wandering villagers.

"Hey, whats going on here?" He called out. He watched as the old man turned wildly.

"Who was that? Who's there?"

"I'm right here" Sasuke replied.

"Where are you?" The man called sounding panicked.

Sasuke walked up to the old man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm right here."

The old man turned in an instant eyes wide, and wild with fear as he looked at the last Uchiha.

"Where did you come from? Are you with them?"

"Them?" Sasuke asked "Who's them?"

"The ones in the mist."

"What mist? It seems like a typical fog" Sasuke shrugged.

The old man continued to look wildly around "What do you mean? I can't even see my own hand in front of my face!" The man insisted. He shook off Sasukes hand, and ran back into the mist only to run into a wall a few feet away.

"Something isn't right here" Sasuke shook his head "There's nothing natural about this fog."

Not even a moment later he heard a scream, and the familiar sounds of fighting close by.


End file.
